Real-time selective pesticide detection using catalytic behavior of zwitterionic conjugated polymer

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Vol. 456; p. 141002
• Main Authors: Sain Tanwar, Arvin, Mehtab, Muhammad, Kim, Jin-Tae, Oh, Kwang-Joong, Krishnan Iyer, Parameswar, Im, Yeon-Ho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15-01-2023
• Subjects: Chemical sensor; Conjugated polymer (CP); Diquat (DQ); Pesticides; Photocatalyst; Zwitterionic polymer; Zwitterionic polymer; Conjugated polymer (CP); Diquat (DQ); Chemical sensor; Photocatalyst; Pesticides
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2022.141002

A unique unconventional sensing system for rapid pesticide detection via catalytic behavior of a zwitterionic conjugated polymer was successfully developed.
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•Zwitterionic conjugated polymer (ZIPF) as a novel sensing platform of diquat (DQ).•ZIPF rapidly degrades the toxic DQ at pH 13 without any pretreatment.•Real-time, highly sensitive, and selective detection of DQ in competitive mixture.•Detection up to nanomolar ranges of pesticide DQ within a few seconds.
We focus on the catalytic behavior of zwitterionic conjugated polymer (ZIPF) as a novel sensing platform for a toxic pesticide, namely diquat (DQ). The synthesized ZIPF with the oxidative polymerization method exhibits high photoluminescence stability in water over the pH range (1–13). We show that the ZIPF rapidly degrades the toxic DQ into the highly fluorescent intermediate diquat monopyridone (DMP) at pH 13 without any pretreatment, leading to real-time, highly sensitive, and selective detection. The present analytical method responses within few seconds and can detect up to excellent nanomolar level of DQ (3.48 nM) in water. The sensing mechanism with the catalytic behavior of ZIPF is carefully investigated.